Hat Yai bombers are believed to be the same gang which bombed Padang Besar
One day after two bomb attacks in Hat Yai on Tuesday May 6, police explosive ordnance disposal teams have collected enough vital evidences to enable police investigators to pin their fingerpoint on the culprits – southern separatists.
According to police report, the first bomb attack which occurred in front of 7-Eleven convenience store on Polpichai road just opposite the Southern Engineering College was a motorcycle bomb. The motorcycle used, a Honda Wave 125, was reported to have been stolen in Yala in 2013.
Police found traces of battery used for torch light and remains of a Nokia cellphone and pieces of iron wire at the scene of the explosion. The perpetrator parked the bomb-rigged motorbike in front of the convenience store and escaped in another motorcycle.
The second bomb blast which took place at the parking lot of Hat Yai police station was a car bomb. The car used in the bomb attack was a Toyota Vigo pick-up truck with engine number 2kd-S124900 and body number MROGR509603169 which was reported to have gone missing in Pattani on April 9.
Police found remains of an 15-kg cooking gas tank at the scene. Police said that the perpetrator drove the bomb-rigged car into the car park at 13.04 pm and it exploded at 2.15 pm.
Video footage from a surveillance camera showed one of the two suspected bombers in blue T-shirt and wearing a hat.
Pol Maj-Gen Aekkapob Prasitwattanachai, commander of Songkhla provincial police, said that at least four men were involved in the two bomb attacks and they were suspected to be the same gang responsible for car and motorcycle bombs in Padang Besar and Ban Dan Nok in Sadao district on December 22 last year.
A 100,000 baht bounty has been offered by the police for information leading to the arrest of any of the four suspects.
In the past ten years, Hat Yai came under several bomb attacks as follows:
On April 3, 2005, three bombs exploded at the Hat Yai international airport, Carrefour hypermarket chain store and Green World Palace Hotel. Two people were killed and 69, mostly foreigners, were injured.
On September 16, 2006, Hat Yai was shaken with six bomb explosions at Deep Wonder Pub, Odeon department store, traditional massage house, an ATM machine in front of Big C department store, Lee Gardens store, a toilet beside Coloseum theatre and Diana department store. Five people were killed and dozens injured.
On May 27, 2007, seven explosions rocked Hat Yai injuring 13 people.
On August 2, 2008, five bomb explosions shook the municipal area of Hat Yai injuring two people.
On March 31, 2012, a car bomb exploded in front of Lee Garden Plaza Hotel killing three people and injuring about 300.
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Caption : The evidences form bomb attack incident in Hat Yai
Photo by Sumeth Parnpet